North of the Notch: Travels in the Backwoods of Maine and New
Hampshire
June 2000
How many places can you play the game of "I Spy" and look for a moose
at the same time? Few travelers venture 'North of the Notch,' along the
less traveled byways north of New Hampshire's fabled Franconia Notch.
This route cuts a breathtaking, narrow path through the White Mountain
range, home to Mt. Washington, the king of the Presidential mountains
and the highest peak in the Northeast, along with other rightly famous
attractions, including the Old Man in the Mountain, and the Flume. The
region has attracted summertime visitors for generations.
North of the Notch, the roads become smaller and more weather worn as
they wind their way through forests of pine and fir. The houses are less
well tended, the mountainous landscape more foreboding, the touristic
diversions fewer and far between. In other words, the perfect route to
follow.
Franconia, Jefferson, Sugar Hill, and the regional capital, Berlin (pronounced BER-lin), still feel like the New Hampshire of my youth. The
towns are small and a bit threadbare with hardly a franchise or big box
store in sight. Downtown Sugar Hill for example, boasts a tennis court,
with a spectacular White Mountain view, a post office, and a small
country store with a stoop perfect for sitting. One can also visit the
first ski school hill in America, rising up inconspicuously from Lovers
Lane. Nearby are a wonderful display of handmade furniture and an
antique shop [name] with proprietors happy to tell a story or two to
adults and children alike about the antique implements and china on
offer.
Betty Davis and Robert Frost both called Sugar Hill home. Almost
everyone in town has a story about their encounters w betty Davis, and
will usually relate them at the slightest hint of curiosity. The
proprietor of the antique shop next to The Homestead on Route 117, a
charming four season inn where we spent one evening, explained that the
actress used to come up once and a while to her hideaway in the
mountains for a skiing and partying vacations, a story whose telling has
far out-lasted the actress herself.
Up by Lancaster is the John Wingate Weeks Estate, now part of the NH
State Park system. My kids were most impressed with the working fire
tower, which not surprisingly has an arresting view of the surrounding
mountainous expanse that must be truly extraordinary during foliage
season.
Berlin, an industrial town which once lived on the bountiful harvest of
Maine timber and now seems to be treading water as its waits for an
industrial rebirth quickly gives way to a strikingly desolate and
beautiful road that follows the Androscoggin River, which still bears
evidence of its logging heritage.
The river is dotted with fine spots for fishing, canoeing, and
picnicking. as well as a teepee camp ground on Lake Ummbagogue, where
you can have the parallel experiences of sleeping in a tepee and
watching scores of cable channels.
One activity my family enjoys during this road trip through the middle
of nowhere is looking for moose. Binoculars are a must for this sport
and we keep them, along with the camcorder, at the ready on the
dashboard,. The road signs warn constantly of 'moose crossings' – the
beasts can easily total a car which comes across its path. Most of the
time, however, the animals can be spotted in the swamp-like flats at the
periphery of the lakes that run on either side of the road.
Parked cars and moose seem locked in a symbiotic embrace here in the
north country. You'll be cruising down the road, not having seen a car
or a house for some time when you come upon a line of vehicles parked
alongside the road. Binoculars in hand you spring out of the car in the
direction of the small crowd that has gathered. If you're lucky, you'll
spot a moose foraging calmly in the wetlands nearby.
The border with Maine is marked by a sign and what my kids have dubbed
the "camel range"– two mountains in the shape of camel humps just south
of Wilsons Mills. The mountains here are much more rounded, lower and
gentle then the Presidential range further south.
None too soon civilization beckons. Rangeley, Maine has been an outdoor
capital for decades, with a thriving summer trade of casual tourists and
hikers of the nearby Appalachian Trail. Sitting on the shores of Rangely
Lake and in the shadow of Saddleback Mountain, Rangely caters to a wide
range of summer visitors – from anglers in search of trout and salmon
to families in search of a quiet beach with a canoe.
We didn't try the fishing, but we did more than our fair share of
canoeing, swimming, and hiking. When the sun shines in Maine, it is
awfully hard not to have a good time. We stayed in two cabins during our
visit -- one at Saddleback Lake, the other on Rangeley Lake. There are a
few bed and breakfast accommodations, but in this part of Maine, summer
"camps"--small self-contained cabins--are the signature accommodation.
Most have that LLBean feel--very woody with simple furniture, and oh
yes, something LL never needed, cable television. Saddleback Lake has a
small beach where families congregate and the canoes are stored. The
Lake is off limits to motorized transport of any kind, a boon to
swimmers and lovers of peace and quiet broken only by the primeval cry
of the Loons.
Our days were filled with canoe and kayak trips to the Lake's far,
undeveloped shore, where we searched for moose prints and blueberries,
and rendezvoused for a picnic lunch with those who made the journey
overland. The hike up the slopes of Saddleback Mountain is not to be
missed. We were the only one on the entire mountain the flawless
afternoon we ascended--myself, my two daughters Morgan aged 10 and Eve
13, our friend Jane and her two boys Daniel and Noah.
Joshua, aged 4 walked about 50 yards before tiring. His mother, as
mother's all too often do, put his preferences first and took him into
town for an ice cream cone and a round of miniature golf.
Skiers from Portland flock to the mountain during the winter season, but
in summer the place is all but deserted. The marked trail to the summit
proceeds up wide open ski slopes, offering constant views to the south
east and west.
Our search for a sail boat took us to the Bald Mountain Camps, in
nearby Oquossoc. Canoes and small, motorized craft can be had almost
anywhere, but sailboats are surprisingly scarce on these beautiful
lakes.
Bald Mountain had a couple of Lasers, which with a little work, we
managed to get shipshape. We'd take turns sailing while the others swam
at the beach. Bald Mountain is a four season destination, with a
spotless dining rom and numerous camps bordering the Lake. There's a
dock for water skiing and a tennis court as well--a bit too
twenty-first century for my taste, but all in all a place we'll be sure
to patronize on our next trek to the north.
Bald Mountain Camps (207)864-3671, (207)864-3788
Rangeley Area Information 1-800-685-2537 www.rangeleymaine.com
Rental accommodations: Morton and Furbish Real estate Agency
207-864-5777
